Myles Lewis-Skelly was heavily linked with a summer move to Old Trafford.
Myles Lewis-Skelly was linked with a summer move to Manchester United
Myles Lewis-Skelly was linked with a summer move to Manchester United (Image: Getty)
Myles Lewis-Skelly was convinced to stay at Arsenal after Mikel Arteta held private talks with the player and his family, according to reports. The teenager was heavily linked with a summer move to Manchester United, who wanted to sign him to improve their strength in depth. His ability to play in midfield as well as left-back was viewed as a major plus point for the Red Devils.
In spite of United's interest, a move failed to materialise and Lewis-Skelly ended up staying at the Emirates Stadium. Since then, he has emerged as a key man for the Gunners, starting in every Premier League game so far this season. However, it's claimed that he was very close to demanding an exit, only to change his mind after speaking with Arteta.
According to The Sun, the youngster was seriously considering his future at Arsenal, with United joined by Chelsea in their pursuit of his signature.
Arteta, however, was determined to keep him around and made it clear that he wanted him to stay, even reaching out to his family and representatives.
He reportedly convinced Lewis-Skelly to remain in north London by promising him a bigger role as part of a tweaked system for the new campaign.
Arsenal largely operated in a 4-3-3 formation last season, with Declan Rice supported by a combination of Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Merino, Eberechi Eze and Martin Odegaard in the engine room.
This time around, the reigning Premier League champions have switched to a 4-2-3-1 system, allowing Lewis-Skelly to thrive alongside Rice at the base of their midfield.
Lewis-Skelly produced a fine display against Manchester City in the Community Shield and followed it up with another strong performance against Coventry City on the Premier League's opening weekend.
The teenager has emerged as a key player for the Gunners this season
The teenager has emerged as a key player for the Gunners this season (Image: Getty)
This strengthened Arteta's conviction to keep him at the club and proved to Lewis-Skelly that there was indeed a pathway to regular football at the Emirates Stadium.
Towards the end of the summer window, the Arsenal boss insisted there was a "100 per cent chance' that Lewis-Skelly would be staying beyond the deadline.
He added: "The players that have been raised in our [academy] system and they feel that love and connection with the club, it brings something else. There is no question about that.
"We need to look after them in a very special way because they bring value that is very difficult to [find]. That's why, when we can, we have to protect those assets as much as possible, develop them, and make them very important for the club."
United ended up signing Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba to complete their midfield rebuild, although they failed to land another left-back.
It remains to be seen if they will renew their interest in Lewis-Skelly further down the line, but at the moment, it seems like an opportunity that has passed them by.
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